A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake Saturday morning sent slumbering New Zealanders scrambling for cover. Miraculously no one was killed but more than $1.4 billion (NZ $2 billion) in damage was realized in what one minister called "the greatest disaster New Zealand has ever seen."
The temblor which struck at 4:35am Saturday occurred at a shallow depth of 3.1 miles. Building facades crumbled, roads tore open and power lines crashed to the ground as a result of the shaking centered just 30 miles from Christchurch.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said, "There's a major rebuild job here in Christchurch." A state of emergency was declared for the 350,000 residents of South Island as the government rushed aid and set about repairing the damage.
- In pictures: View the slideshow to the left to see the earthquake damage in New Zealand
- Get all the latest: Follow us on Twitter and 'like' us on Facebook
Agriculture Minister David Carter surveyed the damage in the rural areas around the city. He told The Australian, "This is the greatest disaster New Zealand has ever seen."
Since the initial quake, two sizeable aftershocks have occurred according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). One magnitude 5.1 quake struck less than 20 minutes after the larger temblor and another 5.1 followed less than 24 hours later.
Downtown Christchurch remains cordoned off while officials assess the damage. Roads will need to be repaired as will underground water pipes. Rubble from partially collapsed buildings litters the streets.
Government officials said they have worked quickly to restore power and water service. Electricity to 90% of the city has been restored and 80% have water.
New Zealand lies along what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire, a U-shaped region stretching from Russia south to Japan and the south Pacific. It then follows the west coast of South America up through California to Alaska.
Landmasses along the 'ring' are seismically and volcanically active and prone to dangerous activity. For New Zealand, it is the collision of the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plate that led to pressure being released.
The quake on Saturday was the largest to strike New Zealand in 80 years. In 1931 a magnitude 7.8 temblor struck the North Island city of Napier destroying much of the city and killing 286 people. A magnitude 8.2 quake occurred in 1855 was the largest recorded in the nation.
Comments
Great slide show, such devastation, some of those roads look like what we have here in Denver after a bad winter.
From Cindytg: Great details of a terrible disaster.
What a mess! Thank goodness no one was killed.
Very devastating. I have a friend there and thank goodness they are all okay and were much more fortunate than others.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!